RATING: 3/5
The “Five Nights At Freddy’s 2” movie, released in theaters on Dec. 5, took the criticisms its predecessor received and improved on them. The film follows Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), Abby Schmidt (Piper Rubio), and Vanessa Shelly (Elizabeth Lail) in their efforts to survive the murderous Toy and Withered animatronics while putting together what really happened back when William Afton and Henry Emily first created the Fazbear’s Pizzeria franchise.
The film opens with a flashback to when the original Fazbear’s Pizzeria was open, twisting the events and characters of the original games into its own creative spin that drives the plot of the film. Charlotte Emily, the soul within the Marionette (Audrey Lynn-Marie), is introduced as the film’s vengeful main villain, and despite Vanessa’s attempts to calm her, she is stuck in an eternal state of anger and continues to enact her plot for revenge.
Scott Cawthorne (Creator of the original game series) and Emma Tammi (Director of the movie) took the games and made a new story that is interesting for both fans and casual watchers alike, and the former group may be delighted to know that the movie features Mike utilising features within the game, such as the Freddy Mask. We even got to see the nightguard from the animatronics’ perspective, giving us an idea of how these killer robots were programmed.
The animatronics and scenery were incredibly charming as well. There is no doubt that the visuals and sound design are the best parts of the movie. The buildings are made in a way that feels like they’ve been there for decades, and the animatronics move with a weight that the audience can feel, immersing viewers into the world like they are there with the characters as well. The music box was also a hauntingly well-done recreation of the tune from the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 game, reminding fans of whenever they had to wind it in the games to keep the Marionette calm.
The story of the movie itself was easily understandable even as someone who knows what happens in the original FNAF 2. To people who like the games, it could be fun to compare and contrast the two different narratives. However, for viewers unfamiliar with the plot of the original, it could feel like a constant push-and-pull. But in my opinion, the introduction of both new and familiar characters kept enough excitement to maintain the audience’s interest.
However, I found that the scares were rather lackluster than what I expected from the promises Cawthon made about the movie. The atmosphere did not have the intensity to lead up to the scares that define the games, and they were rather predictable, taking away from the thrill. The animatronics don’t leap at you as they do in the games, with the exception of the Marionette, which was the only time I was actually startled. The ending of the movie was abrupt as well, leaving the tension between Vanessa and Mike unresolved for the movie’s upcoming sequel and leaving their intertwined character development for the future.
Yet overall, I feel that the movie was good as a universe on its own. The end result was not the best direction that it could have been, but it delivered well on the easter eggs and had a plot that was easy to follow. For people who like the games and want to see a movie adaptation of the plot, I’m afraid this won’t be what you want. However, it is still an enjoyable experience if you set aside your bias for the original story.
